Selective Reduction, your thoughts?

I'm new to nameberry, but I'm guessing this is the right forum for my question.

Before I start I would like to say that I am NOT expecting, I am a 17 year old from Australia and am doing an oral presentation on selective reduction in my English class.

I would like to know your opinion on Selective Reduction? Would you do it? What would your reasons for doing it/not doing it be? What if it is reducing twins to a single baby?

Especially in conjunction with IVF or similar fertility procedures. Whatever your stance is I would love to hear it! Also, if you have direct experience with Selective Reduction I would particularly like to know your thoughts, if you feel uncomfortable sharing on the thread maybe you could private message me? Also, please be truthful, I would love some valid information.

I know this procedure is quite controversial, but if you could please refrain from getting too heated that would be great. I don't want to start any unnecessary arguments. By all means leave your opinion, but try to be tactful! I chose to ask this question here because from what I've read there is a great community of level-headed people on here, and that's exactly what I'm looking for! I've asked it on other sites and been abused, hopefully that doesn't happen here!

Oh and I did joined the site because I am a not so discrete name-nerd (I have been meaning to join for ages!!), but I thought I might get some helpful answers to this question.

I am not a mother, but I have no issue with it. Carrying triplets or more is risky, both for the mother and the fetuses. Reducing the pregnancy to a twin or single means there is a much higher chance of having full-term or near-term babies.

This is a very controversial topic, so I'd echo mim's pleas to respect everyone's opinions and refrain from getting too heated!

I think it's a legitimate choice if you're carrying more than one foetus. Personally, it's something I would consider only if I was carrying at least four foetuses. I realise some people are morally against terminating any pregnancy, which is fine, it's their choice (I'm pro choice in general). There are many factors to take into consideration, not just how many babies you want to have. As sidura mentioned, the health of the mother and the foetuses is at a much higher risk when carrying multiples. I hope I'm never in this situation, but if I were, I'd possibly choose selective reduction (impossible to say for sure, especially since I haven't researched this issue nearly as much as I would if I were in this situation myself). Whatever your choice, I'm sure it would be an incredibly difficult decision.

Not a mother, but I could never do it. Besides my religious objections, which are first and foremost, my heart would always wonder about the baby I "selectively reduced". It would haunt me for my whole life. I would never be able to look at the child(ren) who shared a womb with the other baby without wondering and I feel that is unfair both to me, my husband, and the children I chose to carry to term.

This is difficult, I've never really thought about it as it's not anything I can imagine will happen to me. I don't think I could say unless I was actually in that position myself, but I don't think I would do it unless I carried more than three. I agree with Dindle, it would haunt me forever if I chose to terminate one or more, but I know I couldn't live with it if I didn't take some away and the babies were born with defects. I would've blamed myself forever, and for me it would be better to think of little babies lost than having alive ones with lots of problems. But that's only my opinion. (I am a mother by the way.)

I'm very pro-choice, I believe every woman has the right to choose what's best for her and not be judged for it.